Bound
by Buffalo
Summary: Its not easy to love someone, especially when that love is forbidden. This is mainly DEMILY but there will be some REID/OFC as well.
1. Chapter 1

A/N – Hello everyone, this is a sequel to my first Morgan Prentiss fic, Alive. This fic is sort of how I wish things would go for them as a couple. I will have some case scenarios but I'm not very good at that stuff so it won't ever be forefront. I'm kind of going with a slightly similar idea as a story I began about Castle and Beckett but I got stuck with that one and I think it just works better for Emily and Derek. Also, though this is primarily T rated there will be M rated chapters, I'll give plenty of notice before hand if that's something you'd prefer to avoid. Thanks so much for reading, writing is a favourite pastime of mine and I love to hear what people think!

It was hard not to touch him. It wasn't like she spent their time alone constantly in contact, but when they were with the team she couldn't touch him at all. Normally it wasn't a problem; normally they were so busy learning about the case, working the case and just trying to keep each other alive, that not touching was simply not an issue.

It was on the plane ride home that she physically itched to touch him. It was after the 2 or 6 or sometimes even 14 days on the road working the case that she so badly wanted to touch him. She wanted to collapse into the big comfortable airplane chairs lay her head on his shoulder, let him wrap his arms around her. She wanted to feel his fingers playing with her hair, and she wanted desperately to rain kisses small and wet all over his handsome face.

Instead she dutifully took her seat opposite Reid and waited for him to deal the cards. She would get to touch him as much as she wanted the moment they got home, to his place or hers it never really mattered, as long as they were together.

Things were going pretty fucking fantastic. Not only was the team stronger than ever since they'd gotten Emily back, but he had Emily back. He had all of Emily too, how many people got to say they had all of someone. It was almost funny how quickly they had opened up to each other, considering they were two of the most mysterious, closed off people he could think of. It had only taken a bottle of wine, a deep spacious bathtub filled to the brim with hot water and mild scented bubbles to let everything come flooding out.

"Emily?" JJ's voice broke them both out of their thoughts and Morgan had to fight not to look up from his book.

"Yeah," Emily smiled. She'd always gotten along well with JJ, but since they'd both left and then come back to the bureau, JJ had become one of her closest friends. Between JJ and Penelope she was a little surprised they hadn't picked up on any of the goings on between her and Derek.

"Oakley's tonight at 9, Penelope is going to meet us there," JJ pocketed her phone and Emily figured she'd probably only just received the text from their favourite technical analyst a moment ago.

Emily struggled not to look over at Derek, because really all she wanted was to be alone with him for the evening. They'd agreed to take it slow though and it had been way too long since she gone out with the girls.

"Sounds fun," she forced and caught Derek adjusting in his chair. She'd been wondering if it bothered him as much as her, not getting to touch on the plane after cases. Had he been wanting this night together as badly as she had?

"Is this a girl only evening?" Hotch asked surprising them all. He cleared his throat and continued "Jack is with his aunt tonight, and to be honest I could use a drink after this one." They all nodded, the case had been tough.

"Of course you can come, we should all go," JJ ever the diplomat smiled.

Part of Emily was pleased that they would be together but the rest of her couldn't stop thinking about yet another evening she would have to fight her body's new and completely natural inclination to be all over him.

The plane landed and they all made their way back to Quantico to pick up their vehicles. It was just past 7 when she got back to her apartment, she'd only just slipped her shoes off when she heard the light wrap on the door. A quick peek out the peep hole and she found herself exhaling with relief.

She opened the door and he had her in his arms instantly, his lips found purchase on neck as he simultaneously closed the door with his foot and pushed her into the front entrance wall.

"I hate the ride home," he mumbled, his hands busily moving over her body.

"Me too, I'm sorry about tonight," her fingers slipped through the belt loops on the front of his jeans and pulled him into her.

"Don't be, we'll have fun tonight, you'll drink too much and then I'll offer to drive you home and we can spend the entire night making love." His lips connected with hers and she let him consume her. Making love had never been a term she had particularly liked, maybe it was because she couldn't remember ever really being in love, maybe it was because sex had always just been sex to her; but when Derek Morgan told her he was going to make love to her, she knew that was exactly what was going to happen. That didn't mean they didn't have sex as well.

She lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist pulling him into her. He groaned instantly and then laughed. "Damn it woman," he sighed slipping his tongue past her lips and allowing the heat to rise between them.

Just then her stomach growled and they both laughed.

"Come on, we have an hour before we have to be there let's get some food and we can continue this later." He pulled back from her and dragged her into the kitchen. The soft cries of Sergio followed them into the kitchen and Derek bent down to lift the cat to his shoulder. Sergio had taken to Derek as quickly as Emily had, she wasn't sure if it was the height or just the attention but the cat would sit on his shoulder all night if Derek would let him.

They worked efficiently in her small kitchen, making pasta, because she hadn't had time to get groceries and it was the only thing not developing new colors.

After dinner she slipped upstairs to shower quickly and change. He headed to his own place, he had to check on Clooney and change himself. They were lucky that she lived on his route to work. He often picked her up on the way, had been doing it long before they'd become what they were now, so it was never suspicious. They'd planned to meet at the bar, when he got there a little past 9 he was surprised that she hadn't made it yet. Emily wasn't the typical girl, she didn't take hours to get ready or show up fashionably late. If anything, she was the complete opposite but when she walked in that night there wasn't a person in the room who didn't notice her.

Emily wasn't sure what had gotten into her; standing in front of her mirror imagining Derek with other women, even if it was a ruse, well it made her feel completely self conscious of her nearly 40 year old body. Didn't matter how many times he praised her beauty or ran kisses up her legs and over her stomach. She could never be 23 again; but she could look good, she could make him want her so bad that he wouldn't be looking anywhere other than at her.

She found the jeans in her closet with the tags on still; she'd bought them on an impulsive shopping trip with Penelope. They were too low cut for work and every time she put them on she took them right back off again, except tonight. They were a little long in the leg but with her black boots they'd fit perfectly. The top was one she'd bought in Paris, dark green tank that plunged low showcasing her breasts. The black lace overlay was tight at her waist and sat just above the jeans, only a hint of skin showing, it hung loose over the top of the tank falling suggestively over one shoulder.

She'd left her hair down and only applied a bit of make-up, choosing to focus mainly on highlighting her eyes which she knew were fabulous.

She felt good, she felt confident. It only waivered slightly when she saw she was running late. She felt even better when she walked into the bar and instantly felt his eyes on her.

He watched her walk into the bar and the first thing that entered his mind was how quickly he could get her home. He watched her turn her head, looking around the room for them until she was engulfed unknowingly by Garcia.

"Holy shit Lady, you look smokin' who are we trying to ensnare this evening?" Penelope laughed and then dragged Emily over to the rest of the group. She was almost regretting her decision when she saw the way Rossi, Hotch and Reid were eyeing her, then she caught sight of Morgan.

"So who's buying?" she asked making a joke and drawing the attention away from her appearance. Morgan laughed and stood from the table. She slid into his place beside Reid snatched one of the fries off his plate and munched on it. No one was talking; they were all just watching her.

"Alright would you guys lay off, so I dressed up a bit. It's not like I walk around work in sweatpants with greasy hair." They all smiled, even Hotch and then Morgan was back, JJ behind him helping to carry the drinks.

It didn't take long for everyone to get comfortable, for everyone to open up. They were enjoying being together in a positive setting, because above everything else these people were family to each other.

She was in her 5th or was it her 6th drink when Penelope led her and JJ onto the dance floor. It only took a second to have their little threesome swallowed up by a multitude of young and older men. Emily was laughing loudly as some guy wrapped his arms around her waist. She was surprised at the awkwardness of it, he was an attractive man but he wasn't Derek and had she not been a few too many in, she would have easily side stepped him.

Morgan inhaled sharply at the sight of the other man holding Emily; it was almost surprising to him just how envious, how possessive he felt about her.

"Not dancing tonight Derek," Rossi brought his beer to his lips and grinned.

"Nah, it's been a long week. To be honest I'm itching to get home." _And to get that woman naked, _he thought as he drained the last of his drink.

"Emily sure looks to be having fun," Hotch nodded once again to the dance floor, watching Morgan watch Emily.

"I think she's maybe had enough for one night," Reid answered, they watched her stumble to the floor, the idiot behind her already moving onto another taller brunette. Morgan was out of his chair quicker than anyone and replacing JJ's arm with his own.

"Come on Princess, I think it's time to get you home" she looked up into his eyes and he knew she wasn't going to be able control the next words out of her mouth so he filled the silence with his own voice.

"Ladies, have a nice evening," then he dragged her from the bar; his eyes meeting those of the unit chief as he did so.

A/N - thank you so much for reading! please don't hesitate to drop me a review! Don't worry for those of you who want it, you'll get to see what happens when he gets her home in a couple of chapters!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – Alright here is my attempt at case! I can't promise anything as it actually terrifies me a bit, the next chapter will be M and I want to warn everyone that this case will be disturbing but I kind of figure that most of us who watch Criminal Minds on a regular basis are probably used to the disturbing! Also I don't know anything about small town law enforcement, I googled a few things but if I make mistakes please don't hate me, just let me know and I'll make the fix. Thanks everyone! Oh and Hart is a completely fictional town!

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"Daina Gordie, 6 years old, found in her parents backyard, last Tuesday. She had been missing for 6 days when her older brother went out back for a cigarette and found her body. Penelope, you may not want to see this," Hotch's voice broke through Garcia's horrified expression as she listened to the details she would rather have forgotten.

A picture flashed over the screen and Emily could feel her stomach clench in disgust. "Her hands, mouth, chest and genitalia were burnt with what appears to be an open flame. It's done slowly and over time, the first area burnt is the genitalia and then the unsub seems to work his way up the body, doing the mouth last, before stabbing the victims right through the heart,"

"How many Victims?" Morgan leaned forward, asking the question as he was reading the answer in the folder in front of him.

"Two so far, Stephanie Parker went missing from an after school art class last month, she was gone for nearly two weeks and her body was found just like Daina's in her parent's back yard. Yesterday Garrett Jordan reported his wife Anna missing, she was supposed to pick their 3 year old son up from the day home and never arrived. She is 26 yrs old,"

"So there is obviously no regard for age, other than the fact that they are all female there are no similarities between any of the victims." JJ flipped through the folder in front of her, "JJ's right, Stephanie is tall thin with brown hair and brown eyes, Daina had green eyes and blond hair, and Anna is a short brunette with green eyes. Physically there are no similarities,"

"Where they a part of any clubs or groups, did they all see the same physician?" Emily asked

"We've got Garcia on that, it's only about an hour's drive south, but because of the nature we'll be staying there so grab your go bags and meet me down by the cars." Hotch answered.

"One more thing, Hart is a very small town population just past 4,000 last year ," Hotch added, "Which means everyone knows everyone, it won't be easy convincing them that they have a killer in the midst's" JJ sighed and everyone dispersed.

Emily collected her tablet and was about to head out the door when Morgan called her back. "Em," his voice was quiet, anxious she wasn't used to that.

She turned to look at him but didn't move any closer, they were in the BAU, there were camera's everywhere. She wouldn't have been surprised had someone told her that they watched her take a pee every day.

"Just be careful, I know you hate it when I get protective…" she didn't actually, she loved that he trusted her, that he'd let her break through a front door and come face to face with a killer, having faith in her abilities. She also loved when he got protective; no one had ever been protective of her except maybe Mathew and it made her feel loved.

"I love it when you're protective," she whispered and his eyes widened in surprise. " I was a little too reckless in Texas, I'll be more careful this time just as long as you are too," she smiled and then slipped out the door, stopping briefly at her desk before bee lining it to the cars to claim shot gun.

They were going over the profile in the car when Emily saw the name, Rose Lincoln. Lincoln. Why did that name sound so familiar? "Who invited us in?" Emily asked from her place behind Reid, he'd beaten her to the car and she'd given Morgan a teasing glare because of it.

"County Sheriff Lamb, the only murders in Hart before this, were accidental car accidents and kids being dumb with their parents guns or farm equipment," Morgan answered from the driver's seat. JJ and Rossi had gone with Hotch in the other vehicle.

"Did you know that last year, there were 730 deaths and over 150,000 disabling injuries on us farms?" Reid barely even looked up from tablet in his hand.

Emily's mind was still buzzing around the familiar name; she just barely registered Reid's voice.

"You ok Em?" Morgan asked and his use of her shortened first name cleared her mind. It wasn't that he'd never called her Em, before but it was different now that he said it primarily when they were intimate with each other. It was lucky they were with Reid and not Garcia.

They pulled into Hart a little under an hour from leaving Quantico and it wasn't hard to find the main Police Station, Emily couldn't help thinking it wouldn't be hard to find anything in the small town.

Except maybe a murderous psychopath

Hart happened to hold the county prison and county Sheriff's office which meant they had a slightly larger law enforcement than most small towns.

They were met just inside the door by County Sherriff Lamb, the man was tall and lean, he wore his pants a size too small and his hair a shade too long. He was a cowboy first and foremost and Emily was glad they hadn't waited any longer to call them in.

After introductions were made, they were brought inside the small offices and came face to face with the most archaic police system they had seen in years, possibly decades.

Emily could feel Reid itching to speak, she laid her hand on his arm to stop him but they were interrupted by a small woman with hair as dark as night exploding into the room.

"Why didn't you call me Tim? I could have helped, how long was Daina missing?" All six of them turned to watch the girl – she couldn't have been more than 20 years old - enter the room.

"Rose," Sherriff Lamb began, but the woman cut him off, "Don't 'Rose' me, Tim I should have been called I know the Gordie's" Her fists clenched at her sides, she was reeling in her own skin, and ready to explode or implode whichever came first.

"That's exactly why you weren't called, Rosie" Tim answered and every member of the team watched the interactions between the two. Morgan couldn't take his eyes off the girl; she looked so much like Emily that his mind kept repeating those words she had whispered to him their first night together.

"_I told Rossi that I had an abortion, but I couldn't go through with it. Matthew and I took off, we got on the next plane out of Italy, into New York City. I'd pretty much emptied my savings back in Italy and we lived in this cheap little motel room off only cash because we didn't want our parents to find us. I gave birth on a sheet from a thrift store but I did everything else right Derek. I took prenatals, I went through a real adoption agency, even gave my legal name. It was a closed adoption until she turned 18,"_

"_She?" Derek questioned and it was this more than anything else that let the dam loose. _

"_The year she turned 18 I was a mess, every day I thought she'd walk right into my life desperately wanting to know why I had given her up. Even now I see her everywhere, every young woman with hair like mine," Emily collapsed into his arms and he wasn't sure what to say, what to do. She'd known for a long time his deepest darkest secret, and now he knew hers. _

"Excuse me Sherriff; I believe that there is a young woman missing who deserves our attention" Hotch stepped forward, ever the professional. Morgan knew it was ridiculous; to think this random young woman could be her daughter, the world was small but it wasn't that small. Either way he chanced a glance at Emily, her expression was blank, but he could see the stiffness in her body. He knew the same thoughts were flooding her own mind and he wondered how many dead bodies she thought might be her daughter, how many young women over the years had given her pause, just like this.

"Who's missing?" Rose looked between Hotch and the Sherriff, she looked almost afraid of the answer.

"Anna Jordan went missing yesterday," Sherriff Lamb answered

"Anna Jordan; and you think it's related the Daina?"

"I'm sorry Miss but there have been two brutal murders in your town. How have you not heard of any of this?" Reid stepped forwards always the most practical.

"It's the Harvest," She answered as if that explained everything, "Wait, two murders I thought you said Anna was just missing?" Once again her gaze flickered between them all.

"Stephie Parker was found just like Daina last month," The Sherriff's hand raised up to wipe the sweat from his forehead, Emily watched the young woman collapse onto the desk behind her.

"Just like Daina, do we have a serial killer?" It was impressive that this was what her mind had picked up on; more impressive that she hadn't lost her head with all of the death around her.

No one answered her and that worked as an answer in and of itself.

"What's being done Tim?" She asked

"Excuse me for being rude but, who are you?" Rossi questioned

The girl returned to her feet, her face a blank expression of pure professionalism, "Deputy Lincoln, Agent Rossi, I help out here whenever it's needed and work my brother's farm when it's not. I apologize for the intrusion. I would very much like to help, if there is anything I can do." Her face was straight as she spoke, hiding any emotions that may lie beneath. Emily was surprised to find an odd sense of pride forming for the girl.

"Deputy Lincoln, I read about you in the paper, you solved the kidnapping of Lindsay Barker when you were just 19 years old only weeks out of police academy." Reid's arms crossed inquisitively over his chest as he took her in, measuring her against the person he'd read about nearly four years ago.

"Rose here is a shining star in Hart, she graduated top in her class from your FBI academy," Sherriff Lamb informed, all the pride of a father in his words and stance.

Hotch adjusted his tie and he seemed to be pulling a memory from the recesses of his mind.

"You're familiar with the town and the people attached to this case Deputy?" Hotch asked

"I am,"

"Can you think of anything that may have connected our victims to each other?" He asked again, like he was testing her. This wasn't a big office, regardless of her answer he would probably have to use her. Even if it was just grunt work, but something Strauss had mentioned just months ago made him ask the question.

"Stephie and Daina were both adopted, they went through the same adoption center, but I don't know about Anna." She informed immediately

"Daina Gordie wasn't adopted," Sherriff Lamb interrupted.

"She was; Mr. and Mrs. Gordie came to ask my parents about it a couple years before they adopted Daina, it was kept quiet because all her brothers are biological and they didn't want her to feel different. She was absolutely adopted. Allie McCleod filed the papers, same person who filed mine."

A/N – So I think it's pretty obvious were I am going with this and I know it's been done a hundred times over but I am adding my ideas to the mix. Let me know what you think, just a reminder next chapter will be M rated!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – Alrightly there is M in this chapter, when you see the CM you can skip ahead until you see it again to avoid any of the naughty, otherwise please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Emily pulled back the stiff motel bed covers and climbed in. At least they'd sprung for nice sheets, well nicer sheets than these small town motels usually had. She stretched out under the blankets wishing Morgan was with her. They'd contemplated ways he could slip into her room, ways they could be together without the team being aware, but it was too risky in such a small town.

She closed her eyes the moment her head hit the pillow. Since that perfect moment they'd had in his office, Derek Morgan had been the main feature in her dirty mind's eye. When she closed her eyes that evening, it was someone else who haunted her thoughts.

Rosalie Evangeline Lincoln, born October 26th 1985, the daughter she'd thought she would never know living only an hour away from her. Of course she didn't know for certain that the young woman was her daughter but somehow she just _did_ know. The girl was very pretty, prettier than Emily could have imagined, but she was headstrong and she acted too quickly, you made mistakes when you acted that quickly.

A light knock on her door dislodged her thoughts, when she got to the peep hole she smiled at the anxious look on Derek's face. His head was flipping back and forth so quickly she thought he might kink something in his neck.

"Derek, what are you doing here?" she whispered opening the door and dragging him inside.

"Come on Em, I couldn't let you be in here alone after today. If the rest of the team knew what you'd told me they would be saying the same thing. She looks just like you Emily, just like you." Derek's hands cupped her jaw. Sometimes he was so gentle with her that it was all she could do to remember he was Derek Morgan, the man who kicked down doors and tackled unsubs.

"There are probably hundreds of people who look like me out there Derek; we don't know anything right now." His lips caressed the side of her forehead as he pulled her more tightly into his embrace. He knew as well as she did that this girl was her daughter, and he felt an unexplainable force of protection for the young woman simply because she was a part of Emily.

"You realize one call to Garcia and we could know for certain," he offered. Emily did know that, she'd considered it a dozen times since they had been introduced to the young deputy. Even hit the speed dial button on her phone, just to promptly snap the phone shut again.

"Would you just kiss me?" her voice cracked and she hated herself for allowing it to happen.

Normally when she found herself having to ask for a kiss, he would send her one of those cocky Derek Morgan grins. This time he just kissed her. His hands held her firmly against him as his lips slowly worked her open. He'd meant it to be soft, reassuring; he'd meant for her to feel how much he loved her in that kiss. When she let the little moan of pleasure escape he thought maybe this was better. Maybe for one night, maybe for a couple of hours he could just make her forget.

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His hands slid down her body, sliding back up beneath the loose cotton of her pyjama top. Her skin was hot to his touch and when she shifted against his body, rubbing her hip into him he knew he'd made the right decision.

"These walls are paper thin Derek," She gasped against him; pulling him back towards the bed, even as she was trying to talk him out of continuing this little escape.

"You'll just have to try and keep quiet this time Em," He turned her around, his breath brushing her ear as he pulled her tight behind firmly into his quickly hardening erection.

Emily involuntarily tilted her head, giving him the clear expanse of her neck to work with. He did not disappoint. Her hand slipped behind her, between them. She popped the button at the top of his pants and slid the zipper down, her hand found its natural place gripping him tightly and her inner walls clenched at just the thought of him sliding roughly within her.

His hands were working her nipples when suddenly she had a firm grip of him. "Fuck Em," he sighed, following suite and sliding his hand down the front of her pants. They both moaned when his cool finger slipped into her heat. "Baby you are so wet," his teeth took hold of her ear lobe and she exhaled loudly, he was everywhere all at the same time and it was almost too much for her.

She turned back around to face him, causing his hand to fall out of her. She was on her toes, her lips moulded to his instantly. She wanted to feel his tongue against her tongue, she wanted to feel those sculpted muscles up against her stomach, she wanted him everywhere. She stepped back just far enough to pull her night shirt over her head and then help him with his own. His pants and boxer briefs were next.

He pushed her backwards onto the bed, fingers hooking into her own pants and underwear and pulling them from her body in one effortless move. He took a half a second to mentally capture that picture of her, he'd need it over the next couple of days, and then he was on her. His arms wrapping tightly around her body as he placed sloppy kisses along her hip bone and up her body; he stopped at her chest, taking time to suck and bite at each of her nipples. The tip of his erection was gently prodding at her entrance, just waiting for the opportune moment overtake her. She widened her legs, drawing her knees up and resting her feet just below his steel ass. She arched into him, finding the head and gasping as just that part of him entered her.

"Slow down Em," he whispered, all the strength within him being used to not thrust inside her.

He gave a shallow little pump, feeling the wet tightness that awaited him and they both groaned.

"Just fuck me Derek," She gasped, begging him to continue, to move deeper. If it had been any other night he would have ignored her. Any other night and he would have removed himself from her tight entrance and moved down her body, any other night and he would have taken the time to properly tease her, to make her cum at least once, maybe twice, hell maybe more before he finally succumbed to the beauty of being one with Emily Prentiss. But on this day, he could deny her nothing, so if she wanted to fuck, that was exactly what he was going to give her.

He covered her mouth with his own as he pushed himself into her, drowning the moans that would surely have awakened every single person in the little motel.

"Oh god Derek," she sighed her head bending back as she focused on the feel of him sliding in and out of her, "Harder," she gasped and he obeyed slamming into her.

"Fuck Em, you are so fucking tight baby," he leaned back onto his knees grabbing her hips and pumping into her with a force neither of them had experienced, her body caving in on itself with every thrust.

"I'm not going to last much longer Em," he whispered a little disappointed in himself.

"Touch me," she sighed "I'm so close," her eyes latched onto his as she watched him slip an expert finger between them. All it took was one flick and she was gone, biting her lip to keep from screaming his name.

He had to admit, he missed the scream, he loved to hear her cum. Loved to listen to her yell out his name as she milked him for all he was worth. He pumped himself into her, loving the way her orgasm added just that bit more friction between them. Two, three more pumps and he was collapsing above her, struggling to catch his breath.

"Thank you," she forced the smile and even though they both knew it was forced they were both glad for the temporary break in reality.

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Reid couldn't sleep; something about this case had been bothering him since they'd received the call. He pulled himself from the motel bed and glanced at the neon clock. 3:48am. Great, he brushed his hands through his hair and made a quick decision. Before he knew what he was doing he'd showered dressed and found himself back at the small town precinct. The lights were off and he was just about the curse the idiocy of his own plan when he caught the dim light from one of the back offices.

He knocked loudly on the glass doors and waited. Only a second later he was being let in by Deputy Rose Lincoln. Her eyes were dark, tired as she pulled the door back for him.

"Dr. Reid, what are you doing here?" She asked, re holstering her weapon. Was it negligent of him that he'd noticed her tired eyes before the gun in her capable hands?

"I could ask you the same thing," he answered without really answering at all.

"Touche," she smiled. He found himself wondering what it would be like to make that smile reach her eyes.

She locked the door behind them and then led him back to the office she had been working in. He saw the round break room table that had been moved out of the break room for his team to use and watched as she took a seat at the back of it.

"Why didn't you apply to the FBI?" he asked, not "What had you found, or how did you get in here?" like he should have.

"You mean after I passed the academy?" She didn't look up from the pictures lined up in front of her.

"Hotch said you were recommended to the BAU, Section Chief Strauss recommended you herself, why would you go through academy and then turn a position like that down?" He asked

"Would you believe me if I said, I missed my horse?"She forced another one of those half smiles and their eyes met over the table. Something in him loosened and suddenly they were both laughing. It was short lived though, because her eyes landed on the mutilated corpse of little Daina Gordie and she couldn't control the tears.

Reid couldn't remember the last time a woman other than his mother, or a victim had cried in front of him. He rounded the table and took the seat beside her; his hand clasped hers with more confidence than he felt.

"We'll get him Rose, this team is good and we'll get him." His voice held so much conviction that she couldn't help but believe him.

A/N- Thanks for reading everyone, please let me know what you think?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A/N – Alright this is a long one...it was kind of two separate chapters but instead of doing two short ones I just did one nice long one. Hopefully you enjoy! No M in this chapter...sorry!

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Special Agent Derek Morgan was dumbfounded. He couldn't stop staring at the girl, his girls, girl. It was all so crazy, too coincidental to be an actual coincidence it was all just so surreal. He watched her listen to their initial profile, watched how she took in the information almost searching for a way to contradict them to play devil's advocate a trait her mother was good at.

Her mother. Emily.

He shook his head, trying desperately to focus on what Hotch was saying, but it was impossible. She would say something, offer up a clue or an idea and he'd be back to watching her. What would it have been like had Emily kept the girl? Would she have approved of them as a couple? Would Emily have considered her adult daughters opinions before entering into a relationship, secret or not, with him? He was almost certain she would have.

Certain that had he and Rose not gotten along, Emily never would have considered him as a partner for you. On the same note he couldn't imagine not getting along with her daughter, she would have been what 20, 21 when they met the first time? A college student maybe, most likely, if Emily had any say. They would have maybe been introduced in a casual setting, maybe when the team was out for drinks one night, maybe at a grocery store on their day off. Good lord wouldn't it have been awkward to be caught hitting on the young woman by her mother, his co-worker?

He was getting ahead of himself again, imagining a life that would never be. He would never run into Emily and her grown daughter in a grocery store because Emily had given the child up.

Did it bother him that she'd given her own baby up? It hadn't bothered him when she had first told him, he may not have been able to sympathise but he could understand the logic behind the decision and Emily was nothing if not logical.

Rossi commented on something and he snapped back to reality just in time to watch Deputy Lincoln take a bite out of her thumbnail. There was no doubt in his mind that she was Emily's.

He shook his head again and pushed a heavy sigh from his lips drawing the attention of the group around him. "Sorry," the statement falling gruffly from his mouth.

"Morgan, take Deputy Lincoln with you to the Gordie's she might be able to help keep the peace." Hotch's voice rang loudly, easily breaking into his thoughts. He vaguely heard Hotch send Emily and Rossi to the Jordan's before Deputy Lincoln made her presence known.

"Would you like me to drive, or give directions?" She asked patiently, there was something eating away at her; he found he could read her just as easily as he could read her mother.

JJ and Reid grunted behind him, the word "Neither," easily slipping past JJ's lips the entire team, even Hotch cracking a smile.

"Deputy," he motioned to the door in way of reply and she followed him out. When they were alone in the vehicle he felt himself at a complete loss as to what to say. He should have been asking her about the Gordie's, learning as much about them as he could before the interrogation. Instead all he wanted to do was ask her what her favourite color was. Ask her if she liked red wine better than white? If she preferred short satires, to lengthy romantic novels. Was she as much like her mother as he thought she might be?

"You're probably wondering why I didn't take your section chief up on the offer to join the BAU; every other member of your team has already asked me, you know in their own way?" Morgan chuckled under his breath.

"Believe it or not, I was actually wondering what your favourite color was?" Her head snapped to his, the most quizzical dark eyes meeting his.

"It's yellow, and thank you." Maybe she thought he was respecting her privacy, either way her favourite color was different than Emily's.

"How long have you known the Gordie's?" He forced his brain to focus, there was a young woman missing, he really owed it to her to focus on this case. He could deal with everything else after, later.

"I've known of them my entire life, Alex Gordie used to play football with my brother Alan. Alan was a couple years older but they were both star players so they spent a lot of time together. But it wasn't until they adopted Daina that I really spent any time with them. The Gordie's never told Daina she was adopted, none of her brothers were adopted and they didn't want her to feel different. At the same time if she ever did find out they wanted a solid role model in her life, someone who had been adopted to be there in case she had questions. I baby sat for them when she was little, and helped her with her reading when she started in school. She was the same age as my nieces, so she came around the farm to play quite a bit. She was a good girl agent Morgan." Try as she might, she couldn't hide the crack in her voice and Morgan felt the urge to clasp her small hand in his. He withheld the urge.

"I'm sure she was, you'll have to be able to keep a clear head in there Deputy Lincoln. I know it seems like lunacy to you but the fact is there weren't many people who knew Daina Gordie was adopted, her killer could be a member of her family," she gasped at that possibility seeing nothing but delusion in the idea, "you need to watch them, you need to be aware of their body language, their attitudes if anything is off you're the best person to pick up on it."

She bit her tongue, fighting with herself to listen to him and do what he needed. He admired her for that because he knew from experience that it wasn't easy.

"Have you always known you were adopted?" He found himself asking, not able to control it.

"Pretty much, it's not like they were screaming it from the rooftops but it was common knowledge my parents had never been able to have children of their own. Both of my older brothers were adopted it was never hidden from me, but they didn't sit me down to explain it until I was 5 but by then I hadn't ever known anything else and it, I don't know it was just such a non-issue in my house." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you ever wonder about your birth parents?" She turned slowly, not surprised like she'd been when he'd asked the color question. Her eyes took him in and he couldn't help trying to see what she saw when she looked at him. Her head dipped to her lap, but she re-adjusted her shoulders and sat a little taller in her seat.

"There were times, mostly when something biologic was happening to me. The first time I got my period, when I started developing I kept wondering if these were the same ways my mother had felt. When we started biology and they taught us about genes, about how if both parents had blue eyes chances were their kid did too. I'd lay awake in my bed and wonder if I had my mother's hair, or my father's smile. Did I have the same nose passed down generation after generation? When the Gordie's asked me to be there for Daina, I kept thinking how nice it would have been to have someone to share those questions with, even if they couldn't answer them." She paused and he didn't know whether to speak or let her continue. The car pulled to a stop in front of the Gordie's and he thought that would be the end of it. That she would collect herself that he would collect himself and they would work this case.

She turned to him again and when he met her gaze he saw only her mother, "My parents loved me, they loved me just as much as any biological parent would have and even with all of those questions there wasn't a moment in my life I didn't trust that. I was loved every day of my life and though I believe my biological parents would have loved me just as much, they did what they thought was best for me in probably one of the most difficult situations and I hold no blame or anger simply sadness for not having the pleasure of meeting them."Morgan sat stunned by the profession, how long had it taken her to come to these conclusions? Was she really as selfless as she appeared?

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Aaron Hotchner had a hard exterior. He dealt with horrible things, saw horrible things every day of his life. The only thing that kept him from going insane himself, was detaching. He'd gotten really good at detaching. He'd always taken the job seriously, he'd always taken protocol and rules seriously, rules were there for a reason, rules were a huge part of the reason his team was so successful. Rules also had their limitations, that was something else he had learned over the years; especially since he'd joined the BAU.

When Morgan walked into his office it had surprised him, when Prentiss had made the same entrance it had cemented his notion that sometimes, when the situation called for it the rules could be broken.

He knew he loved her the moment they told him she was dead. He knew it would be serious the moment she told him that she'd missed him. He knew he wouldn't be able to live without her the first morning he woke up and she wasn't there. Most importantly, he knew that if he wanted anything more with Emily he would have to make this work. That morning he got to work a full hour before he was due in because like he knew he loved Emily Prentiss, Derek knew his unit chief would be in his office.

He knocked lightly on the door and then pushed it open at Hotch's call to enter.

"What can I help you with Morgan?"Hotch set his pen down and took in the dishevelled appearance of his long time co-worker and hopefully friend.

"I was hoping we could talk, there's something I really need to tell you." Morgan didn't sit, he paced and Hotch let a twinge of worry creep into his gut.

"Of course, have a seat," Hotch motioned to the chair but Morgan looked at the seat like he was going to be sick.

"You know how much I love this job," He started and then saw the panic slip through his unit chief's stoic exterior.

"Morgan,"

"Thing is Hotch, I love her more." Aaron Hotchner froze at that, and looked up. He'd been afraid of this moment since he had introduced them. He wasn't an idiot he knew exactly who Morgan was talking about. Part of him wanted to tear a strip off the senior agent, the other part of him wanted to congratulate the man for finally confronting his fears of commitment and taking the plunge.

He settled on silence.

"We haven't been seeing each other that long; I wanted to be sure that this was really what I had hoped it could be before I said anything."

"How long?" Hotch found himself asking, though it wasn't really all that important it didn't change that it was happening.

"About 6 weeks, after the case in Toledo, I'm absolutely crazy about her man. I've gone through the open positions in other units and their looking for a unit chief in..."

"You're leaving, have you spoken to Emily about this?" Hotch couldn't hide his shock

"It's against the rules, I know how you are about rules I just wanted to make it easier on everyone"

"I'll take that as a no on telling Emily,"

"Em's... this team is everything to her, this is her family besides I'm not sure I should be in the field with her," Hotch startled at this admission, he understood what it took for Morgan to acknowledge something like that and it made Hotch wonder if his senior Behavioural analyst would be able to handle it better than the man gave himself credit for. If he'd walked in declaring that things could stay the same, Hotch would have questioned his judgement more than the admission he'd just heard.

"You've done very well this far, you were fine in Kentucky,"

"I was a wreck in Kentucky, I just hid it well," Emily had been kidnapped and beaten in Kentucky, taken hostage in a small bookstore. It had been the most painful 4 hours of his entire life. Okay maybe not as bad as hearing of her death, but damn close, especially now that he knew what he would be missing with her. He hadn't let her sleep alone the entire following week.

"If you hadn't been there you would have been just as much of a mess, the fact that you didn't act recklessly speaks highly for the situation." He answered and Morgan fixed him with the oddest look.

"Are you saying you'd be alright with us working in the team as a couple?" the shock was so clear in Morgan's voice that Hotch almost smiled, almost.

"I'm not, but before you go and transfer to another unit you should let me look into what we can do about this. You're both vital members of this team and I don't want to lose either of you, but I won't put any member of this team in danger. Keep things between you and Emily quiet for as long as you can," and his head was back in his paper work.

That certainly hadn't gone how Derek had expected.

It was a week later when Emily followed him into his office after a particularly trying case in Mississippi. Derek had rushed the unsub not knowing the man held a knife, he'd spent several hours in the hospital. Thankfully the blade hadn't gone deep enough for severe damage. He'd spent the entire case watching them and had he not had the conversation with Morgan the week before he wouldn't have noticed anything different between the two agents. He couldn't deny they were doing their jobs flawlessly, even under his constant scrutiny and he was scrutinising. He was analyzing every move they made, trying to find fault before Strauss did. Cataloguing every move, to be certain that should this come abreast in a negative light he would have his counter-arguments ready.

"Emily?" he asked as he set the paperwork on his desk, she let her eyes drift over the bull pen and then shut the door behind her.

"I'm requesting a transfer to counterintelligence," she stated matter of factly and he had to hide the smile that was threatening to come out.

"I've been sleeping with Derek and I don't think I can be level headed about this anymore. I'm sorry for keeping this from you," she was tense, waiting for the outburst. When it didn't come she stepped forward, when she caught his smile she startled.

"Do you love him?" Agent Hotchner asked, his eyes meeting hers for the first time.

"Very much," she answered quietly a tear sliding down her porcelain cheek. For a moment he wondered what it would be like to have the love of a woman like Emily Prentiss, someone so strong and passionate, someone that would quite literally walk through fire for you.

"Do you really want to leave the team, or do you think it's what has to be done?" he found himself thinking of Hayley, he found himself rooting for Love in a way he never had before.

"I just, I want to do what's best for the team," she answered and he nodded.

"Then I suggest you stop at the grocery store on the way home and pick up some soup, then do whatever you have to do, to keep Agent Morgan from coming into work tomorrow."

He settled into his chair signalling that the conversation was over.

The next time he saw them, they were seated opposite each other on the jet reading over the case like nothing had happened. He smiled at each of them and then found his own seat. He was breaking the rules, he was putting the entire team at risk, but he knew deep down that it wasn't much of a risk at all because like it or not this team had become a family. Morgan would run into a burning house for any member of that team regardless of if he were sleeping with them. And Emily had already died to prove her devotion to them.

Besides he couldn't remember that last time he had found himself smiling so much.

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A/N – So I know that it's unlikely Hotch would let them be together within the team, but I'm just so tired of seeing grumpy stern Hotch and I feel like since Hayley died he would have a softer view on these things. So try to suspend your disbelief and go with it ;) Besides where else can we have the implausible if not in fanfiction!

Thanks so much for reading, your reviews are always appreciated and they spurn my creative juices


	5. Chapter 5

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The minute they walked into the Gordie house, the brothers were on alert. Little Daina Gordie had three older brothers and they all looked one wrong word away from beating the shit out of him. Morgan wasn't for a second scared of any of them but he was there to do a job and he wouldn't get a word of useful information out of them if they were hesitant of him.

With Stephanie Parker it had been such a blow to the city, that someone within their small town could do something so vicious. With Daina Gordie it had left the town in a state of shock. People were looking for blame everywhere; even with the victims own family. All too quickly secrets had started oozing forth.

Turned out Aaron Gordie, the Gordie's middle son; had been good friends with Stephanie Parker, she'd spent many nights hanging out with Aaron and their friends at his house and Aaron's younger brother Paul had developed a bit of a crush on the girl. The connections were too close for the community and the family had only been harassed since news had broken about their daughter. It was more than enough cause for the family to be suspicious of the new law enforcement entering their home and Morgan was well aware of that. It was one of the reasons he was so glad Hotch had ordered Deputy Lincoln to come along.

Rose was at a loss for words, this family that she had known for so long was experiencing the worst moments of their lives and what was the town doing, they were crucifying them. It infuriated her, made her feel such anger that she couldn't think clearly. She couldn't remember the last time she had been disappointed in her town. At the same time Agent Morgan's words circled in her head, at the end of the day it was Daina who was dead and if it turned out Paul or Aaron had had something to do with it, she would see to it that they'd pay.

Agent Morgan was leading the questions in the family room when Rose noticed Alex peel away from the group, without even thinking about it she shared a look with Agent Morgan and then followed the oldest Gordie brother into the kitchen.

Alex Gordie was a very attractive man, tall with dark hair and eyes he was the spitting image of his father, Kim, back in the day. Her mother used to endlessly tease her father that one day he would wake up and she would have run off with Kim Gordie. Every girl or woman in Hart had been in love with Kim Gordie at some point in their lives. It had been the same with Alex; she couldn't remember how many of her girl friends had been in love with Alex, even though he was a year younger than them. In High school one year was like a life time. Looking at him now, a year didn't seem like such a big gap.

"Took you awhile to come by Rosie," he answered without turning to look at her. They'd never really spoken in school, hadn't spoken much out of it either not until Daina had come around. He'd been absolutely smitten with his baby sister, from the second they had brought her home.

"I only just found out yesterday," not I'm sorry or how have you been taking it. As much as she believed in her core that Alex never would have hurt either Stephie Parker or Daina she would follow Agent Morgan's advice she would attempt to remain neutral. However hard that proved to be.

"Right it's Harvest, probably why you hadn't been by in so long. You know she'd been asking about you," He was angry and hurt and he wanted her to feel it too; damned if it wasn't working perfectly.

"I'm here now Alex, and we're going to find out who did this. They say you found her, when did you start smoking?" They'd all been stressed out when they realized Daina was missing. Alex had gone out back after an argument with his father and that's when he'd seen Daina's battered form. She couldn't imagine walking into that scene.

"Last year, it's stupid, Daina hated it. The first time she pulled away from me because of the smell lingering on my clothes; I should have quite then and there. But if I hadn't needed a smoke so bad it could have been mom that found her. It was bad enough that she was in our backyard but I couldn't have let mom find her." He pulled the pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed them in the bin. Disgust plastered across his face.

"You moved her," Rose did her best to lead the conversation where she wanted it without seeming like she was questioning him. Alex didn't do well under pressure. She was surprised at how her knowledge of him both helped and hindered her so simultaneously.

His hands gripped the counter and his head fell as he clearly pictured his sister's broken body. "She was so pale, I; I thought she might be cold. I ripped my jacket off covered her up. I thought maybe if I could warm her up she'd be ok. She was so clearly dead and I couldn't stop thinking, if I just warm her up." Tears were falling down his cheeks and his hands were shaking, Rose desperately wanted to reach out to him, to let her own tears fall and for a moment she didn't want to be a Deputy or part of the investigation she just wanted to sit with these people and grieve the devastating loss of losing their daughter in such a brutal way.

"Apparently I was screaming, at her or maybe just at the situation but everyone came running out of the house. I don't really remember what happened after that. I think Paul was the one that called Tim, dad pulled her out of my arms and set her back on the ground he kept saying that I shouldn't have touched her that I might have wiped off the killers DNA or whatever. I couldn't believe he was even thinking that way because I still just wanted to warm her up. Mom froze, just disappeared inside herself. I think Aaron brought her inside but I could be confusing Aaron and Paul, maybe it was Paul who brought her inside and Aaron called Tim. I can't stop seeing her Rose, whether my eyes are closed or open, it's all I can see." His fists clenched the counter and he seemed to pull whatever strength he could muster from that. When he turned to really look at her she could see the pain so clearly in his face, if she hadn't been sure before, she was positive now there was no way Alex Gordie had harmed his sister.

Morgan watched the casual way Rose listened to the Gordie's it was clear she wanted to stay with them, to grieve with them. He had to remind himself once again that there was a young woman missing, he couldn't remember ever being so distracted from a case.

The car ride back to the station was silent, both of them lost in the information they had received. When they walked into the station they air was buzzing, people were moving more quickly and Hotch looked far more stressed than he normally did.

"Garcia finally found Anna's parents; turns out she wasn't adopted," Morgan and Rose stopped beside Emily and if he wasn't mistaken the young woman's body language was screaming uncomfortable.

"Anna Jordan did however give up a baby for adoption when she was 16," Morgan could tell how difficult it was for Emily to say those words; especially so close to the person she had given up. He wished he could tell her what Rose had said in the car before going into the Gordie's, maybe later that night, when they were alone.

"So the unsub isn't just targeting those who are adopted," Emily filled in the silence, and Rose helped her along, "but people who've given up children to be adopted."

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"Em, you still there honey?" Garcia's soft, caring voice pushed through the receiver. So, Deputy Rose Lincoln really was her biological daughter. Emily felt all of the breath within her escape and she collapsed into the chair behind her, she couldn't help wishing Morgan was with her.

"Oh I knew I shouldn't have told you over the phone, I should have driven down there, I can't believe I'm not there with you," Garcia's anxious voice flowed through the phone. Just telling the woman had been difficult for Emily, but she should have known that Penelope Garcia would not judge, she should have known she had an ally in the technical analyst.

"It's okay Garcia, really. This is good, this is good." Emily calmly worked through her panic and convinced herself that what she was saying was true. She was pushed out of her thoughts as she caught a glimpse of Rossi and Hotch moving quickly over to their make shift murder board.

"I've got to go Garcia, something's happened."

"Em," Garcia called one more time, "I just want you to know, in doing all this digging, I couldn't help seeing the life she'd led, and I want you to know she has had a very good life and other than one little stint in High school which you'll have to ask her about yourself, she's become a very good person, on paper anyways,"

"Thank you Penelope," Emily tried to put as much conviction in those few commonly spoken words as she could, because she really was thankful. Once she disconnected the call her mind disappeared on her, it was running through each of the encounters she had had with the girl since they had arrived. That was her daughter in the other room, her daughter. The baby she had convinced herself didn't even exist, but she did exist, she existed and she was not even twenty feet away going over case files. Hell if the rumors were true she could have been a member of their team.

Emily's hands clasped her waist as she struggled for breath. The door to the small room opened and JJ was instantly kneeling in front of her.

"Emily, what's going on? Are you okay? Emily," Emily could hear the concern in her friend's voice but she couldn't assuage it because she was too caught up in her own concern. Her growing panic, she needed Morgan, she needed Derek Morgan. There were too many thoughts and emotions racing about her system that she couldn't control it all. Guilt, fear, jealousy, excitement more guilt it was all too much.

She didn't know what had made JJ call out his name, had she said something in her semi-conscious state, had she begged for him or was her friend more perceptive than she had given her credit for. Either way it was Derek Morgan she wanted and it was Derek Morgan that JJ had called for.

She was standing behind the chair, when she had moved she didn't know she wanted so desperately for Derek to be there but when he walked through the doors, a look of concern and so much love written right there, a look there was no way JJ would have been able to miss, clearly on his face.

She could see the internal battle within him, did he disregard JJ's presence and cross the room in a hurry to pull her into his arms. Or did he keep their secret, keep his distance.

Emily glanced down at the cell phone in her hands and then up at Derek, "I called Garcia, she's mine," the words fell out of her mouth and she could only imagine what JJ was thinking. "Except she isn't mine because I gave her up, she isn't mine." Just when she thought Derek might give up on the whole secret thing, Rossi entered the room.  
>"They just found Anna Jordan's body, Prentiss, Hotch wants you and Reid at the scene," Rossi seemed to take in the scene he'd walked into and then added, "Is everything okay in here?"<p>

No everything was not alright but she was at work and a young mother had just been found dead in her own back yard, if it followed the parameters of the previous two murders. So she did what she was so good at doing, she compartmentalized, she collected herself and for the moment went back to a time where she'd had an abortion.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N – Sorry for the long wait everyone! It's been a crazy week and it's only going to get crazier, but I'll try not to make you wait so long next time! Happy Halloween everyone! Celebrate the day you can be whoever or whatever you want to be!

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Turned out it didn't hold to the same parameters as the previous two murders and Emily found herself in the driver's seat with Reid riding shotgun on their way to the town dump.

"Do you think the relevance of this site is as obvious as it seems?" Emily looked at the badly beaten body of 26 year old Anna Jordan, her stomach churned. How many dead bodies had she seen over the years, and it was now that her stomach chose to weaken.

"This unsub has gone out of his way to get the first two bodies into the backyards of the families. My guess is that he went out of his way to get this body to the dump. In his mind the unsub believes Anna Jordan was trash, and he wants us to know he thinks of her that way. He wants us to know how much he hated her." Reid answered, kneeling beside Anna to take in the state of her wounds.

"Do you have cause of death yet?" Reid asked the balding mortician. There was no Crime Scene Unit in Hart and there definitely wasn't a medical examiner, but according to Garcia, Dr. Langley had been working as the county undertaker and mortician for the last 50 years. He was compelled by curiosity and he was good at his job. Either way they'd called in a team from DC, but it would take some time for them to arrive; Dr. Langley was better than nothing.

"Afraid not, girls been beaten too badly, if I had to wager a guess I'd say internal bleeding but we best not be guessing. She's only been dead a couple of hours though I'd say between 3 and 6pm today. When are those folks your boss man mentioned going to get here?"

"I'm not sure," the unfamiliar words came easily from Reid's lips. He stood up and walked back to Emily who was speaking with one of the local officers.

"So the unsub was definitely adopted, the anger shown to the mother who gave away a child and the abuse suffered by the other adopted children, my thought is we're dealing with a woman who was adopted at a young age and then beaten herself, probably assaulted in the same way as Daina Gordie and Stephanie Parker." Emily theorized and Reid nodded.

"Rose thinks," Reid began but was quickly cut off by Emile's best stare down.

"Rose?" Emily's heart rate kicked up at the sound of her daughter's name and a little alarm went off at how casually he threw it out there.

"Uh Deputy Lincoln," Reid corrected, his face turning an attractive shade of red and his eyes averting hers as he continued, "Deputy Lincoln thinks the unsub was molested, the way the unsub burns the private areas, the areas of the body she was probably most ashamed of and hurt by."

Emily nodded her agreement; it wasn't her place to feel odd about Reid crushing on her daughter. It wasn't her place to feel anything about the girl. Didn't seem to stop her from having the feelings though.

Silence filled the car on the way back to the station. For the first time in the past two days Emily's mind was racing through the case and not her personal issues. Obviously the unsub had been adopted, obviously she had been abused and she was angry at everyone involved; angry at other girls who'd been adopted into better homes than she had; angry at the women that had given the babies away, angry at the adoption agency. What she couldn't understand was why it had only just started happening. Murders with this much rage behind them rarely began so organized.

"I think we should look at Stephanie Parker again," Reid flipped through the notes in his book, speaking as if he had read her mind.

"Why do you say that?" Emily checked the rearview mirror before taking the final turn onto Main Street.

"The unsub was too controlled with Stephanie, she was the first noted victim. People just aren't that controlled with the first victim. She was also kept twice as long as the most recent victim. There has to be something there that we aren't seeing." Emily pulled up to the house just as Hotch and Morgan came bounding out the front doors, Sheriff Lamb hot on their trails.

"What's going on?" Emily asked as she jumped out of the car. The sight of Morgan tightened her heart, her need for him overwhelming her. Rose and JJ followed the men out of the station and guilt immediately consumed the need she had felt for Morgan only seconds before.

"They found another body," Morgan answered.

"Morgan and I are on our way to the crime scene, I've asked JJ and Rose to head to the adoption agency, there are too many paper files and it's taking too long to read through them all, I think we may get better answers by speaking with Ms. McCleod." Hotch informed, "What did you find at the dump site?" He asked and Reid stepped forward, eager to present his findings.

When they were finished Hotch nodded in agreement, "I think your right you should have a look at the Parkers again, if we get a positive I.D. from this body maybe it will help determine a better timeline." Hotch didn't wait for another response just climbed into the car Emily and Reid had vacated.

"How are you?" Morgan asked quickly accepting the keys from Emily. Emily couldn't help catching the questioning look in JJ's eyes as they walked around them to the second SUV. Rose was actively trying not to listen, but Emily could see he girl's interest in the slowness of her feet.

"Fine, we've got work to do," Emily snapped, instantly regretting it at the look of hurt that flashed across Morgan's handsome features. It was getting harder and harder to compartmentalize their relationship. As much as she loved him, as much as she loved the way he made her feel, she couldn't have him making her feel like this at work. Work had to be work and she was stupid for thinking it could be otherwise. Maybe it would be different if they worked in a law firm or at a big oil and gas company; but they worked for the BAU and you just couldn't mix business with pleasure in their jobs.

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Rose Lincoln was a mess of emotions. They were overtaking her and she could hardly focus on the simplest tasks. It was one thing to have the FBI in her town helping solve a terrible and another altogether when she knew the people being so brutally murdered. Not to mention the fact that Agent Prentiss completely unsettled her very being, and Agent Reid confused her sensibilities like no man before him ever had.

Agent Jareau, or JJ as her team referred to her, was a welcome companion on the short drive to the adoption agency. Rose found the woman to be very comfortable in her own skin and even more comfortable with her position amongst the team members and the easiness within her was palpable.

"Have you known Agent Reid long?" Rose found herself asking, her crush on the awkward doctor an easier subject to broach than the murders in town or her unease of Agent Prentiss.

Agent Jareau smiled to herself, whether it was memories of the young Doctor filtering through her mind, or humor at the thought of someone crushing on him, Rose didn't know.

"Almost 8 years now, he's one of my best friends. You won't find a more loyal person than Spencer Reid." Agent Jareau answered. Rose nodded in acceptance of the answer, she'd determined that within moments of meeting him, but it was nice to hear it confirmed.

She was about to ask another question when they rounded the final corner and saw a large group of locals angrily milling around the front of the building.

"What the…" Agent Jareau began but stopped when Rose jumped out of the vehicle before it had completely stopped.

The door to the building opened and the crowd got louder when they saw poor Ms. McCleod desperately trying to leave the building and ignore the hateful comments being thrown her way.

"What is going on here?" Rose called as she approached the group, "What is wrong with you people?" Rose hollered, pushing through the crowd to get to Allie McCleod.

"You should be asked her that, who else in town has a list of all the people who were adopted. You have to admit its motive." Hank Bellows growled.

"It's not motive Hank, its means and I seem to remember you having a big old pick up with the cab covered, sure as hell screams easy kidnapping vehicle. Should we all start throwing stones your way?" Hank was momentarily silenced but the rest of the crowd wasn't done.

"Come on Allie," Rose led Allie McCleod down the steps and over to Agent Jareau, the crowds sneers following them. Rose handed Allie over to Agent Jareau and waited until she had been helped into the SUV before rounding on the town's people, her town's people.

"What the hell is wrong with you people, this is the first time anything like this has happened in our town and instead of pulling together to find the killer you all start turning on each other. Look at you, the Parkers, the Gordie's and the Jordan's don't need you fighting this battle, that's what the FBI is doing, what those families need is your support. Go home and make food, finish your harvest and stop trying to find blame everywhere you look. It only makes this worse," Rose let her voice drop in disappointment as she turned around and went back to the car.

"Rosie," The timid voice escaped from the crowd and ran up to her. Rose turned to see the disheveled appearance of Josie Simcott.

"What are you even doing here Josie; you spent all summer helping Anna with her garden; and you've been tutoring The Parker kids for years, why aren't you over there helping them through this."

"They don't need me taking up space in their houses Rosie; they need someone to find this killer. I'm tired of waiting for the FBI to get to their jobs and figure this out." Josie's words were strong but she was still Josie Simcott and Rose could see the timid-ness lingering there in the hunch of her shoulders and the way she clutched her arms over her stomach.

"We're trying to Josie, you spent a lot of time with both the Parkers and the Jordan's can you think of anyone who would have wanted to hurt either of the families? Did Stephanie ever talk to you about anyone at school," Rose watched Josie search her brain.

"I'm sorry," Josie shook her head, "What about Paul Gordie, I heard some people say…"

"Don't even finish that thought Josie, they lost someone too and I won't listen to it, we've ruled any of the Gordie brothers out. If you can think of someone else, you've got my number." At that Rose turned around.

"Who was that?" Agent Jareau asked when Rose climbed back into the car.

"Josie Simcott, we went to school together, she was a year older than me. Her parents old farm runs along the back of my brothers. We used to play together but then she stopped coming around, her mom got sick and she had to help around the house a lot more. She acts tough but Josie's too shy to really start anything serious." Rose explained.

"Does she live at home still?" JJ asked

"Yeah but her parents died in a car accident last year, she's got the place to herself now." Rose answered, "Do you think she could be adopted?" finally following the same train of thought as the FBI agent.

"It's not unlike this particular type of unsub to inject themselves into the case." JJ answered. They both turned around to look at Allie McCleod who'd been sitting quietly in the back seat until then.

"I'm sorry sweetheart I can't answer that, I can say she's never been through my office." Allie McCleod had never married, but she'd had hundreds of children and grandchildren. Hart's adoption center was one of the last small adoption centers in the East, so many had gone viral with the internet. Didn't matter how old Allie McCleod got, she would forever remember every child who passed through her office.

"Garcia," Agent Jareau's voice dialled the familiar number, "Hello lovely," Garcia answered.

"I need you to run the name Josie Simcott, against all of the adoption agencies for 1983 through 1986."

"That'll take a second be right back," Garcia disconnected and JJ looked over to Rose.

"Maybe we finally caught the break we needed,"


End file.
